I am writing to say thank you for all that you have done to help me move forward through what has been the most challenging period of my life to date.

Your compassion and wisdom have created a safe space for me to explore what I want to do, and more importantly be, in the future.

I have really appreciated your exceptional ability to listen with warmth and then to distil and hone in on the most useful questions or areas for reflection. This, together with the fact that your approach to life planning has been from me outwards, has transformed what could have been a very chaotic time into one with a structure and yet enough flexibility to take account of my emotional processing (and quite a lot of snow!)

As I look back over the notes (which incidentally are the best notes I have ever had from a meeting – your listening and recall are incredible) there is a constant thread of you gently protecting my self- care as well as practical activities and challenges to move my thinking forward. I can’t overlook how much it meant to me to be able to share my story of Dom with you right at the start. The compassion and acceptance that you gave to me in that session have helped me on my healing journey and have also helped me to find the good and the learning in the experiences. When people ask me about the experience I think it is this part that is the most compelling – that you were able to hold the story and the emotions in a way that made them easier for me to live with. The transformational power of love.

I have found my time with you inspirational and have looked forward to all of our sessions. I very much hope that we can stay in touch and am so glad that our paths crossed.

Thank you again from the bottom of my heart and I wish you good fortune in all that you do.

Thank you for all your help. I just want to say that the two times I saw you were SO helpful and you really gave me ideas on the way forward and your coping strategies were fantastic.I couldn’t recommend coaching with you more!

Many many thanks Viv

Maybe I will see you again.

Kind regards

Caroline

Caroline Allison – Teacher – 16.1.17

Dear Viv,

I have no idea if you remember talking to me about a career change back in 2013 or so? At that point I was a burnt out frustrated academic, looking for an alternative. I think I said at the time I’d keep you up to date with progress, which I’ve completely failed to do…..!!!

I found your listening and advice very helpful, allowing me the time and space to express what I wanted in a pressure free way. As a result I’ve retrained in medical physics (within the NHS) and start my permanent (~40 hr/week rather than 70!) job next month. I’ve managed to retain some research activity alongside clinical work and am collaborating with lots of interesting people. I couldn’t have asked for more and I think you helped me find the ability to trust myself and make the move.

So a real success story! Thank you so much for your help,

Mike

Mike Nix (NHS – Medical Physics) – 16.1.17

I was recommended by a close friend to visit Viv when I encountered a very difficult period last year both in my personal life and at work. I was sceptical in the beginning but Viv really helped me unravel what was going on, not only focusing on the bad things but making me realising what I actually had in my life. Viv was a great listener but more importantly made me identify and then think about things that I could not change and helped me deal with them. As to things I could change, she helped me with her mentoring skills to give me the strength to take on those challenges. Viv has made a difference in helping me through that episode, such that my outlook on life is more positive but most importantly my family is intact.

KT – Solicitor – 18.3.18

Despite reservations about my first visit with Viv I found the whole experience more positive than I could ever have imagined. It only took the first session to realise the benefit and what I found out about myself will stay with me for a very long time. Viv was very easy to talk to and had a knack of asking the right questions! I would definitely recommend Viv to anyone who needs a nudge in the right direction!

Marcus Berry – Professional Gambler – 21.3.16

If you’ve lost your way at work and need to rekindle your inner confidence and self belief 6 sessions with Viv is all it takes. I was instantly comfortable in opening up to Viv. Her calm, friendly and warm approach made it easy for me to explore the fears and anxieties I had about my stresses at work. Her knowledge and experience was invaluable and she quickly understood what would help drive me to success. The greatest thing of all was that she guided you down your path and helped you to discover your strengths for yourself. This has already given me a fresh and enthusiastic approach to work which I had when I first started in my career and it is something I will hold onto thanks to her patience, guidance and determination to help me believe in me and my success. Thank you,Viv!

Best wishes,

Simon Williams

Simon Williams (Merchandise Planner)

I undertook 8 sessions of coaching with Viv. This provided a relaxed and enjoyable experience, but at the same time it enabled me to reassess my priorities and move forward with my life targets.

I had not undertaken any form of life coaching before and the series of one to ones surpassed my expectations.

I would recommend Viv to anybody who needs a new or improved sense of direction.

P.M – Managing Director of large Architectural Practice

Thanks for this. The work you are doing with me is helping me to transform my life and make everyone around me happier. You are very special.

TN – Managing Director

I approached Viv when considering a new career path but through her support I have discovered much more about myself than that! Through questioning and support Viv has given insights that I had never noticed about myself. I have gained confidence and now have a clearer picture of what is important to me. I now also have strategies I know I can use to overcome problems as they arise. I would unquestionably recommend working with Viv to anyone needing help setting a new path in their lives.

Ele Gibson – Senior Area Volunteer Manager – 6.12.12

Richard was reaching his late forties and starting to experience what some people would call a mid-life crisis – basically he was starting to lose direction.

Asking Richard how he found coaching Richard says
“Brilliant way to focus attention on oneself for a change – really helpful to analyze where one is and where one hopes to go – strongly recommended and Viv is the person to do it. Vivs’ legal experience and clear thinking will get you back on track…certainly helped me!

Richard – Surveyor

Coaching with Viv was fantastic! It changed my life! In six sessions, my life was turned round! My aim was to improve the relationship with my Husband and develop self-confidence and I achieved my goal!

Viv enabled me to see how I could change things and this was liberating and empowering. I am now confident and able to identify and accept the things I can’t change and change the things I can. Coaching was an amazing experience, not to be missed! I felt Viv was with me every step of the way, really listening to me – she was inspiring and I felt I could trust her absolutely like a best friend!

VG – Retired teacher

I came to Viv on a recommendation from a friend. I am a businessman with a hectic work schedule and a number of seemingly intractable problems in my personal life. I related to Viv straightaway. She helped me to define the key issues and allowed me to explore a whole range of ways of coming to grips with them.

I have learned from her some tools and skills that will be invaluable to me from now on. She is kind, caring and understanding but has the rare capacity to set tasks that need to be done to build for the future and to ensure that they are completed.

I feel that I am now on a different track. I am more confident, self – motivated and most importantly I am learning to care about myself again. She has helped me to change the course of my life for the positive and I cannot recommend her highly enough.

RM – Managing Director of Communications Company

We at St George’s Crypt have known of Viv’s work for over 10 years. As an organisation working with homeless and disadvantaged people, we have many clients who we could see potentially could gain real benefit from Viv’s life coaching skills.

We were delighted over a year ago to ask Viv to work with a number of our residents in one of our hostels. Viv’s very empathic style and her ability to listen and encourage has been of great value to our residents. There is no doubt that this kind of work was very important in contributing towards developing self-esteem and confidence and – in turn – to helping our residents to take that important step towards successful resettlement.

I would have no hesitation at all in recommending Viv – she is a thoroughly excellent professional practitioner.

I am a doctor with a busy job and doing some medical research. I am at a stage in my career where I need to decide whether to increase my commitment to research, possibly leading to a full-time academic post. I contacted Viv to help me work through this major decision.

I found the experience hugely rewarding. I learned many techniques which I can apply to this and other problems, as well as learning a lot more about myself, my strengths and my weaknesses.

Viv was a pleasure to work with. She had great insight and I would thoroughly recommend Viv as a coach to anyone needing some independent help to think through a difficult decision.

AC – Hospital Consultant – 8.10.12

I called Viv because I realised I had too many things to deal with at once and I was struggling to handle both personal and work issues. I knew I needed some support and help from someone professional. Viv’s warmth, enthusiasm and focus were immediately reassuring and rapidly made me feel empowered and supported.

After completing our agreed set of sessions, I now feel much more in control. I am resolved about my future direction and enthusiastic about life. Viv is an excellent coach and clearly enjoys her job. I highly recommend her; she restored my confidence in myself. I hugely enjoyed our sessions and miss her vibrant presence.

S Carr – Artist, Image Consultant & Life Coach

I turned to Viv for coaching to help me to set up my business. I had got stuck in fear and procrastination and was looking for someone who would help me to plan, make me accountable for implementing that plan, and at the same time cheer me along the route. Viv did all that with an enormously encouraging and facilitative style.

From the very first contact by phone, Viv was engaging, friendly and I felt in safe hands. Viv clearly really loves what she is doing, and really wants her clients to succeed; working with Viv has made me feel as if I have been lit after a long period of stagnation. Because of the careful way in which Viv asked about what I was looking for from coaching, I felt she understood my fears as well as my desires, so throughout the process she kept a watching eye on my gremlins and that allowed me to focus on moving forward.

Viv helped to free my thinking and also, through her structured approach, helped me to start to operate in a much more focused and productive way. Viv would always ask what needed to happen for me to do what I had said I wanted to and so I left each session with actions I was confident I could and would do. After a session with Viv, I always felt newly energised and because of the effort that Viv put into sessions, her belief in my eventual success spurred on my own self-belief that I really could accomplish what I wanted to.

Caroline Frazer – Career Coach – 23.7.13

Viv has the rare skill of being able to combine a genuine and sincere care for your wellbeing with her ability to maintain the high standards of a consummate professional. Never judgemental or opinionated Viv challenges you to examine yourself and your behaviour and to learn to harness your strengths and overcome your weaknesses. The skills and techniques that I gained from Viv have continued to help me way beyond our sessions and I have made a conscious decision to utilise such techniques in day-to-day life both professionally and personally. A real talent and a credit to her profession.

JK, Business Owner, West Yorkshire

I arrived at my session with Viv full of anticipation and excitement.

Having known Viv for some time in a professional capacity and referred a number of my clients to her for mediation and relationship coaching I felt sure that her input would be helpful.

I had called Viv as I was struggling to make a decision about what to do with my career. Having been in my job for a number of years another option had presented itself to me but I felt unsure about making such a big decision and the implications of that going forward. So I found myself arranging some coaching with Viv. It felt like a treat to be giving myself some time and space to talk through my thoughts and make plans with her.

So, at that first session, I sat down with Viv in her lovely calm, welcoming space and started to talk about where I was at and what my thoughts were about my plans. I was absolutely stunned when, as I spoke, I started to cry and cry! I did not realise how much of a dilemma I felt I was in. Viv’s warmth, compassion and love enabled me to really speak about my fears and worries openly. So we spoke. Viv described how I seemed to be knotted up with the decision I was trying to make. We talked about the importance of not acting from position of weakness, uncertainty or distress and agreed that I needed to get strong – so this evolved into my goal: ”I want to make myself strong so that I am in a position of strength and clarity to make the right decision in relation to my career choices”.

Viv and I established some steps that I would take between that first session and the next to work towards that goal. I left feeling a massive sense of relief.

Incredibly from the day after that first session I felt a massive shift in my outlook which was almost unbelievable. I felt I could breathe easily and as if I was sat back, calm and with a sense of peace. Amazingly from that day on, all the elements in respect of my proposed career change started to fall into place. It felt quite mysterious that all the different factors just presented themselves over the days that followed. And by the time our next session came around I felt absolute clarity about what I was to do.

So, in that second session I spent a very enjoyable hour with Viv, planning, very practically, the next steps that I needed to take to further my career shift. I left feeling a sense of peace and exhilaration about the future.

We agreed that my goal had been achieved!

I cannot speak highly enough of Viv. Her compassion and warmth is matched by her cleverness and ability to see connections in a way which is very powerful. She is intelligent, thoughtful and loving. I am pleased to know her and personally, I will be forever grateful for her input and support at a tricky time in my life.

TH – Solicitor – 20.2.14

You’ve had such an effect on me, Viv. You really helped me get beyond my stuck point and out of my comfort zone. Now I’m out there I feel like I’m on a roll. Thank you so much.